20. On Spurs signing two Argentinian superstars: “It was manna from heaven for me when Ricky and Ossie came. I had someone to play football with.”

19. On youth development in England: “Until we make it the number one criteria for youngsters aged six and upwards to master the ball, we will still be in trouble, as unfortunately, the ball currently masters them.” 

18. On his early days at Tottenham: “We used to train Tuesday and Thursday nights. I would jump on a train at 11, on my own, from Harlow all the way down to White Hart Lane. And that was an eye-opener at 11 years of age. You wouldn’t be able to do that nowadays.”

17. On being recognised by the best: “Cruyff said he had heard a lot about me, but until he played against me he didn’t realise how good I was.”

16. On being an ambidextrous footballer: “I was naturally two-footed, but I also put in a lot of practice. If I run at someone I have always felt more natural on my left side, but if I had to take a penalty or free-kick I would take it with my right foot.”

15. On keeping his feet on the ground: “Me and a lad called Gary Hines must have done something wrong, as we were designated to go up on the roof of the stadium and make sure that the cockerel emblem up there was cleaned. But every time I ran out at White Hart Lane, that grounded me. Every time I came out I could see the cockerel emblem and said to myself: ‘Don’t get carried away. Always remember the day you had to clean that’.” 

14. On only winning 53 caps for England: “It would have been 100 if Brian Clough became England manager.”

13. On White Hart Lane: “It’s only 35,000 but it’s a throwback to the old days. The atmosphere is better than any other ground in the county when the fans get behind them.”

12. On dropping Gazza from his World Cup squad: “It was the saddest thing I’ve ever had to do, was leave Paul Gascoigne out. And that was purely because he wasn’t fit, and he wouldn’t have been fit for the tournament.”

11. On playing under Arsene Wenger at Monaco: “It was enthralling playing for him, I enjoyed every single second. He wanted me to play just behind the striker, which was Mark Hateley. I always felt that was my best position, but I never really played there for England or even during my hey-day at Spurs.”

10. On having unfinished business with England: “If I were to die tomorrow, my life would be incomplete.”

9. On being a playmaker in the eighties: “Teams would kick the s*** out of you. Creative players had the ball 60 to 70 per cent less than they would do in this era. It used to drive me mad.”

8. On his chart hit Diamond Lights with Chris Waddle: “I played in World Cups and in front of 100,000 at Wembley but nothing was as nerve-racking as Top Of The Pops.”

7. On critics who questioned his character as a player: “People talk about character, but what is character? Is it tearing around at 100 miles an hour? It makes me laugh. If I thought defending was that important I could improve my game by 50 per cent. But it isn’t.”

6. On Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’: “We didn’t blame him, we blamed the referee. I never felt retribution towards Maradona. What he did was instinctive, he probably thought he’d be booked. He was a great player, for me the greatest individual talent ever, better even than Pele. No man will ever influence a World Cup by himself as much as Maradona did in 1986.”

5. On the secret to success: “If you can take fear out of your life, you will be able to achieve far, far more. Fear blocks so much. If I had my time again, I would like to live without fear.”

4. On his time as Spurs manager: “We got to the final of the Worthington Cup, and we could have won that and maybe that would have set a different tone. It was a very political club at the time, there were too many obstacles to actually run the club. Some of the players I wanted to bring to the club were blocked.”

3. On his goalscoring ability: “I wasn’t a great goalscorer, but I scored great goals. My top 20 would be pretty interesting.”

2. On those ‘Glory Glory Nights’: “Those European nights at White Hart Lane were very special. The crowd came with a different attitude, and we responded to that.”

1. On his love for On Tottenham: “This is the club I joined when I was eight years of age, signed for at the age of 12 and didn’t leave until I was 28. Spurs is in my blood.”

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49 COMMENTS

  3. Glen, you are an absolute legend. I saw you make your debute at Stoke. Martin Chivers was in the side that day. We won 2-1 and you scored a screamer. No surprises there then.

  4. The most naturally gifted English player I have ever seen even if Greavesie is my all time hero!! If Glen had been Brazilian he would have over 100caps and spoken about in the same vein as Pele.

  5. Was at the Wembley 82 Centenary/Falklands Cup final replay against QPR. Glenn scored the only goal – a penalty. Never forget a banner in the great stadium. “Glenn Hoddle lays on more balls than Britt Eckland”. Still brings a smile. He was a a magician in white.

  7. If you were french you’d be a national treasure! Sadly like john barnes the national system expected YOU to adapt to it not the other way round! Big respect to you one day hopefully the england job will be yours again #COYS

  8. Glenn’s full debut was at Stoke but his first senior appearance was several months earlier. It was at home to Norwich as a sub and he was amazing from the off. I particularly recall him flicking the ball up with his right and volleying with his left but not quite beating Kevin Keelan in the Norwich goal. Another youngster debuted that day – a right back called Ian Smith, who also looked good. Smith played the following week at Old Trafford (a 3-2 defeat) but I don’t think Smith ever played again for the first team. Glenn reappeared for his full debut at Stoke and the rest is history – but I was there at the real beginning!

  10. I was fortunate enough to watch Glen play and there is only one word to describe him GOD he was magic what he could do with a ball unreal his vision incredible in today’s terms value wise priceless. He should be England manager sorry Mr Southgate you don’t cut it Hoddle is still GOD in football terms

  11. I’ve been watching Tottenham for 56 years and have seen some fabulous players during that time and without a shadow of doubt Glen Hoddle is one of the finest players ever to pull on that Spurs shirt.
    However it might surprise a lot of people but I don’t think he could replace anybody in that double side.
    The only players who I would ship in would be the one they did, Greavsie and Pat was a better keeper than Bill Brown although he was fabulous at that time

  13. The reason I support Spurs, having started watching them when I was at college in London in the late 70’S – I also happen to be from Swindon and Glenn took them to the Premier League, which only a true deity could do! Amazing player who brought artistry to the game.

  14. Although a.Spurs Season Ticket holder I used to drive down to Swindon when our Reserves played theirs, and I watched Glenn dismantle them.It was clear to me that afternoon that this highly talented youngster was a classic Spur and that he would be a legend at The Lane.

  15. Put Glenn in this current Spurs side and we win the league, simple.
    To me, he is the best player to pull on a Spurs shirt, as a teenager on the shelf, I used to stand in awe watching him. Even warming up before a game he would do things with the ball that would have you shaking your head.

  16. You are so right Roy about not being able to replace anyone in the double side. How can you leave Danny or Mack or John White out? you just can’t. Having said that Glen was a marvellous player and he and Ossie were just poetry in motion, in other words real Spurs players-magical.

  17. For me there’s a reason so few still to this day have no idea how good Glenn was and it was because back in those days’s football would be shown with one or two live games a week or for a long time only MOTD. So naturally people never got to see Glenn play football, they never got to see more than a few highlights of that game, so only those who would watch him every week, only those of us that saw him play week in week out really knew how good he was. All I can say is he was incredible and the atmosphere he created whenever on the ball was something none if us will forget, I can honestly say I’ve to this day not seen any player i’d class as better than Hoddle.

  18. you have to love football with a passion to understand the genius that was Glenn Hoddle .
    The 57 England caps is a travesty , when you consider how infrequently he was injured , for him not to have at least as many as Wayne Rooney [ 100+] is diabolical .
    He’s not always loved for what he says , but when he “talks with his feet ” Churchill would have struggled to elucidate any better , and crucially I believe one of the best TWO-FOOTED players ever in an England shirt . He was comparable in that respect to Bobby Charlton , who received 105 England caps

  19. Though it is now widely accepted Glenn was the best player this country has ever had, back in the day, the only people who could see Glenn play home/away every week we’re us Spurs fans! Everybody else in the country would only get to see Spurs highlights on MOTD. And many of those times were only 10 mins highlights, Or the Big Match on a Sunday when Spurs were on TV. Other than then, nobody else except Spurs fans actually knew how good he was, and trying to tell other people back then how good he was would see you get strange looks, the mentality was so different. I feel lucky to be one of the few who watched him week in week out, I still to this day, have not seen better!

  20. I remember going to Watford , 1-1 draw after Hoddle had left, & as whenever he was injured the team looked lost. Luckily Chris Waddle , who started to turn in on from Feb 1986 really grew after Hod left. Venners said it best feet like hands

  27. I grew up with him. I played football in the park with him at just 7,8,9 years old. Then, as kids, we called him the “Fairy” not in a derogatory way, it was because even with a tennis ball on grass his control was magical. He was untouchable with incredible control.
    Having come from a total West Ham family, Glenn is the reason I’ve supported Spurs since 1967. With him and his father Derek I used to travel to Spurs to watch before he became a Spurs youngster.
    Thank you Glenn, and I would always wish the best for you, I still hope, one day, that you come back to manage us or England again. There isn’t anyone else out there that understands football like you.

  46. Though it is now widely accepted Glenn was the best player this country has ever had, back in the day, the only people who could see Glenn play home/away every week we’re us Spurs fans! Everybody else in the country would only get to see Spurs highlights on MOTD. And many of those times were only 10 mins highlights, Or the Big Match on a Sunday when Spurs were on TV. Other than then, nobody else except Spurs fans actually knew how good he was, and trying to tell other people back then how good he was would see you get strange looks, the mentality was so different. I feel lucky to be one of the few who watched him week in week out, I still to this day, have not seen better!

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